Timaru Cemetery - FURTHER INFORMATION

Timaru Cemetery lies on a hill to the south of Timaru town center, near to Patiti Poia Point and beach. The land for the cemetery was set aside when the town was first surveyed in the 1800's and the first person to be buried here was Morris Clayton who on 16 October 1860. Timaru Cemetery is quite large and in 7 April 2002 was recorded as having 24,242 graves and 2,618 ashes plots, as of 7 April 2002. Some of the graves contain multiple burials.

An important historic grave is that of Captain Henry Cain, a statue of whom stands in front of the old landing services building (now the Timaru Visitor Information Centre). Henry Cain settled in Timaru in 1857 having made his money in trading with with interests and property in California and Melbourne, being at sea from the age of 13. He arrived in New Zealand in 1851 aboard the schooner Pauline, which he owned, settling in Timaru in 1857. In 1859 he opened the first landing service, owned stores in Cain's Terrace, became the town mayor and harbour pilot. 1886 he was murdered by poison.

TRAVEL DIRECTIONS AND GETTING THERE

Timaru Cemetery is on Domain Avenue, which comes off the 1 Highway south of the town center.